How should I go about reupholstering antique chairs that have been stored in a musty basement for decades?
I inherited a house that still has a number of my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ furniture in it. There are a couple of wonderful and comfy easy chairs I’d love to use in my home, but the upholstery on both looks and smells dusty and moldy. The chairs have wood frames and arms, which are no problem, but what does one typically do to reupholster chairs in this condition? Would a thorough steam cleaning and just putting new fabric over the old suffice, or do I need to strip the chairs of everything, down to their frames, and start fresh with all new padding?
Tagged with: easy chairs • fabric • furniture • grandparents • love • padding • steam cleaning • upholstery • wood frames
Filed under: Your Community Center
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I also inherited a pile of basement stored antique furniture~since cleaning is preferable to reupholstering, I would see what you can do to get rid of the smell first.
What I did:
I sprinkled the chairs with basking soda, vacuumed them thoroughly, then set them outside in the sun for several days. Some of my friends swear by Febreeze, I’ve never tried it myself.
If it still stinks, send them out to be cleaned commercially. If that doesn’t work, or, if there is visible mold on the furniture, you will have to strip it clear down to the frame. Be sure you take a photograph first ~ it’s much easily for an upholstery to remake the chair if he has a guideline to go by.
I’ve done a lot of refinishing and reupholstering projects and my guess is that you’ll have to take everything down to the frames.
Good luck.